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TRIP REPORTS. NOVEMBER 2006 |
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29th November.
This was my second day guiding Mel and Gill Greenhalgh from Cornwall.
As the couple had joined yesterday´s tour an hour late, we drove to the
Laguna San Lázaro to try to find Crested Tits. We immediately found
Blue Tits, Crested Larks, Black Redstarts, Robins, Stonechats, White
Wagtails and Iberian Magpies, and after a further 30 minutes of
searching, we had excellent close-up views of a Crested Tit. Also seen
were Hoopoes, Iberian Chiffchaffs, Greenfinches, Woodlarks and a Tree
Pipit. Close to the lagoon we saw a Buzzard, a Red Kite, Ravens, a
Kestrel and a Black Stork.
We then headed for the Huelva region,
stopping first near the entrance to Playa Rompeculos, to watch two
nearby Booted Eagles. Continuing along the road for a couple more
kilometes, I spotted a distant raptor. Thinking it was another Booted
Eagle, I pulled over and discovered that there were 4 eagles, but these
were not Booted, they were Short-toed Eagles. Suddenly, there were 7,
then 9, then more. In 10 minutes we counted at least 16 S-t Eagles and
another Booted.
Both of these eagles can be seen in small numbers
throughout the winter in Doñana, although they are described in all
field guides as "migratory-summer only" and we often see 1 or 2 on a
day tour, but this was completely unprecedented for the end of
November. My first thought was that they were a very late migrating
flock, heading back to Africa, but then realized that these were making
their way inland from the coast, 700 metres away. The weather was
perfect, clear blue skies, bright sunshine and an offshore breeze, that
would have helped the birds had they have been crossing to Africa. But
no. These birds were definately heading inland. Could it be that these
birds were returning very early from Africa? They don´t normally start
to arrive until late February/March, so I am at a loss to explain the
number of birds seen.
We then continued to the Laguna Primera de Palos, were we found Purple Swamp-hens, 3 Squacco Herons, Little and Cattle Egrets, Shovelers, Common Pochards, Cormorants, Grey Herons and a Common Sandpiper.
Our next stop was at the Laguna El Portil, where there were Little Grebes, Teal, Snipe, Greenshanks and 6 Common Waxbills.
After
a picnic lunch we drove to the Marismas de Río Piedras. Here there were
Ringed, Grey and Kentish Plovers, Redshanks, Dunlins, Sanderlings,
Turnstones, Little Stints, Bar-tailed Godwits, Oystercatchers, Curlews,
Whimbrels, Black-winged Stilts, a Caspian Tern, Sandwich Terns, 4 Ospreys, Great Crested and Black-necked Grebes, several Dartford Warblers, Sardinian Warblers, Southern Grey Shrikes and 2 or 3 Bluethroats.
We finished the day at the Marismas del Odiel, where we added 2 Red-knobbed Coots,
Black-tailed Godwits, Greater Flamingos, Spoonbills, Audouin´s Gulls,
Zitting Cisticolas, Marsh Harriers and a Red-breasted Merganser to out
lists.
28th November. With me today were Patrick and
Lynn Temple from Los Angeles, California and Mel and Gill Greenhall
from Cornwall. Mel and Gill drove up from Portugal and didn´t arrive
until 10am, so Patrick, Gill and I spent 40 minute at the Laguna San
Lázaro to fill in the time. The first birds seen were a large flock of
Iberian Magpies and these were quickly followed by a Hoopoe, White
Wagtails, Spotless Starlings and a Green Woodpecker. A short walk
through the pine and oak forest produced Collared Doves, Great, Blue
and Crested Tits, Robins, Willow Warblers and Ibeian Chiffchaffs.
After
collecting Mel and Gill, we drove out to the Corredor Verde, where we
managed to find Red Kites, Buzzards, Kestrels, 7 Black-shouldered
Kites, Crested Larks, Serins, Corn Buntings, Black Redstarts,
Goldfinches, Southern Grey Shrikes, Cattle Egrets and Black-crowned
Night Herons.
The high water levels of yesterday had dropped
significantly and we were able to cross the Entremuros and visit the
Isla Mayor ricefields. In this area we saw White Storks, Black Storks,
Little Egrets, Yellow-legged Gulls, Little Grebes, Common Pochards,
Lapwings, Purple Swamp-hens, Jackdaws, Meadow Pipits, Zitting
Cisticolas, Marsh Harriers and a Merlin.
After a picnic lunch at the
Fuente de Conejos, we made our way out to the northern marshes. At the
Huerta Tejada there were about 160 Glossy Ibis, 2 Hen Harriers, Stonechats, Little Owls, Common Cranes, Grey Herons, 2 Great White Egrets, Cormorants and many Black-headed Gulls.
At
the same field as yesterday, beside the Finca los Caracoles, we counted
over 270 Stone Curlews and at the Lucio del Lobo we saw Greater
Flamingos, Avocets, Green Sandpipers, Black-winged Stilts, Great
Crested and Black-necked Grebes, Gadwalls, Shovelers, Pintails and
Red-crested Pochards.
We ended the day at the Hato Raton ricefields
and although we didn´t add any new species to our list, we did see 4
more Great White Egrets, 2 more B-s Kites and about 700 Common Cranes.
27th November.My
tour today was with Richard Elvy from Kent and his friend Robin. We
began the tour at the Laguna de Mancho Zurillo and immediately found an
Osprey and a few Red Kites. Several Hoopoes were seen in the area,
along with Cormorants, Cattle Egrets, White Storks, Great Crested
Grebes, Common Pochards, Tufted Ducks, Crested Larks, Southern Grey
Shrikes, Corn Buntings, Stonechats, Willow Warblers, Greenfinches,
Goldfinches and both Great and Blue Tits.
We then drove through a part of the Corredor Verde, finding 7 Black-shouldered Kites, Buzzards, Kestrels, Marsh and
Hen Harriers, a Booted Eagle, Sparrowhawks, a Cetti´s Warbler, White
Wagtails, Spanish Sparrows, Meadow Pipits, Zitting Cisticolas, Spotless
Starlings, Lapwings, Golden Plovers and 2 more Ospreys.
Heavy rain
over the weekend had produced extensive flooding of the Entremuros and
we were not able to cross over to the Isla Mayor ricefields, but we
contented ourselves by watching thousands of Little and Cattle Egrets,
Grey Herons, Glossy Ibis, White Storks and Marsh Harriers feeding in that area.
Driving
out toward the northern marshes, we made several stops. The first stop
produced a lone Black Stork, Red Kites, a Black Kite, dozens of
Redshanks, a few Greenshanks, Green Sandpipers, Shovelers and Teal.
At
the next stop, next to the Finca los Caracoles, we counted over 190
Stone Curlews, a large lock of Calandra Larks and 13 Common Cranes.
Further along the road we encountered 2 Little Owls, Greylag Geese and
a large number of Greater Flamingos.
As we drove alongside the Caño de Guadiamar there were dozens of Purple Swamp-hens, 5 Great White Egrets and 3 more Hen Harriers (1M & 2F).
The
last of the harvested ricefields in the Hato Raton area were being
ploughed down by the tractors and this produced a fantasic spectacle,
with well over 2,000 White Storks, 1,000´s of Black-headed and
Yellow-legged Gulls, 1,000+ Cattle Egrets, 100+ Little Egrets, 50+
Spoonbills, Black Storks, Lapwings, Golden Plovers and over 600 Common
Cranes feeding in the fields.
In the same area we also recorded 2 more B-s Kites, 2 more Sparrowhawks, Common Snipe and 2 Kingfishers.
23rd November.
Today I travelled west, to collect Mark and Sian Litjens from the Hotel
Barcelo in Punta Umbria and to guide them to some of the best birding
sites near Huelva.
On leaving the hotel, we immediately passed dozens of Iberian Magpies, feeding in a forest beside the road.
Our first stop was at the Laguna El Portil, where we found Greenshanks, Common Snipe, Common Sandpipers, Little and Black-necked Grebes, Pochards, Shovelers, Buzzards, Robins, Zitting Cisticolas, Sardinian Warblers and a Dartford Warbler.
We
then moved on to the port of El Rompido. It was almost low tide and
there were many waders feeding on the exposed mudflats. Amongst these,
we saw Kentish, Grey and Ringed Plovers, Whimbrels, Dunlins,
Sanderlings, Turnstones and Redshanks.
The Marismas Rio de Piedras again proved to be the top spot for Caspian Terns,
with at least six being present. There were also a good number of
Sandwich Terns, a Whiskered Tern and 2 (3?) Little Terns. Cormorants,
Yellow-legged and Black-headed Gulls, Bar-tailed Godwits,
Oystercatchers, Red-breasted Mergansers, Black-winged Stilts, Little and
Cattle Egrets, an Osprey and a Kingfisher were seen in and on the
wetlands and in the drier, scrubby areas, there were 5 Bluethroats, 3
Dartford Warblers, Meadow Pipits, a Tree Pipit, a flock of Common Waxbills, Crested Larks, Stonechats, Robins and Southern Grey Shrikes.
At
the Marismas del Odiel we saw many of the species we had already
recorded, but also managed to add Marsh Harriers, Kestrels, 2 more
Ospreys, White Storks, Spoonbills, Lesser Black-backed and Audouin´s Gulls to our list.
Our
last stops of the day were at Estero de Domingo Rubio and the Laguna
Primera de Palos, where there were 2 Squacco Herons, Purple Swamp-hens,
Gadwalls, 3 more Kingfishes and another large flock of Waxbills.
21st & 22nd November. On the first day I was Guiding Vivien Drake from Hampshire, her mother Marjorie and her friend Maggie.
The
morning was spent in and around the sites near El Rocío. Although there
is now plenty of water in the main marsh at El Rocío, the site was a
bit short of birds, but we did manage to see Little Egrets, White
Storks, Grey Herons, Shovelers, Pintails, Black-winged Stilts, Coots
and Marsh Harriers.
We then visited the Raya Real and the Arroyo de
la Partido. Here, there were 3 Black-shouldered Kites, Kestrels,
Robins, Sardinian Warblers, Little Egrets, Stonechats, a Cetti´s
Warbler, Great Tits, Hoopoes and a Common Sandpiper.
The afternoon
was spent at La Cantarita, where there were Red Kites, Buzzards, Hen
Harriers, Iberian Magpies, Black Redstarts, Corn Buntings, Crested
Larks, Black Storks, Ringed and Kentish Plovers, Sanderlings, Dunlins,
Redshanks, Greenshanks, Green Sandpipers, Glossy Ibis, Purple Swamp-hens and Little Stints.
On
the second day, Vivien, Marjorie and Maggie were with me again and they
were joined by Kay and Tony Maslen and Kay´s brother Martin. Our first
stops of the day were at the Laguna de Mancho Zurillo and the Laguna de
Quema, where we had excellent views of an Osprey, Cattle Egrets, Grey
Herons, Cormorants, Shovelers, Pochards, Tufted Ducks, Great Crested
Grebes, Crested Larks, Robins, Serins and Southern Grey Shrikes.
A drive through the Corredor Verde and alongside the Rio Guadiamar produced 8 Black-shouldered Kites, Marsh and
Hen Harriers, Kestrels, Buzzards, Ravens, Hoopoes, Woodlarks, White
Wagtails, Iberian Magpies, Serins, Greenfinches, Zitting Cisticolas,
Stonechats, White Storks and over 400 Black-crowned Night Herons.
In the Isla Mayor ricefields we saw Black-winged Stilts, Black Storks, Little Egrets, Common and Green Sandpipers, Yellow-legged and Black-headed Gulls, Squacco Herons and good numbers of Glossy Ibis.
In
the afternoon, we visited the northern marshes and at the usual field
near Huerta Tejada we counted 317 Stone Curlews, although there were
obviously many more we couldn´t see.
Near the Lucio del Lobo there
were 3 Little Owls, many Common Cranes, Red Kites and Corn Buntings. On
the lucio (pool) itself, there were thousands of Greater Flamingos and
hundreds of Avocets.
In other areas, we saw Griffon Vultures, 3 Great White Egrets, Purple Swamp-hens, Little Grebes, Greylag Geese and Gadwalls.
19th November.
With me today were David and Kathlyn Kuivila from Sacremento,
California. They had never birded in Spain before, so most of the birds
seen would be "lifers" for them. After collecting the couple from El
Rocío, we drove to Villamanrique, seeing several flocks of Iberian
Magpies on the way.
Our first sites we visited were the Lagunas de
Mancho Zurillo. Here we saw Great Crested Grebes, Cormorants, Little
Egrets, Common Pochards, Tufted Ducks, Moorhens and Coots.
We then
drove through the Corredor Verde and along the Río Guadiamar. We made
several stops along the route, finding Buzzards, Kestrels, Red Kites, a
male Hen Harrier, Marsh Harriers, a Booted Eagle, Crested Larks,
Hoopoes, Stonechats, Great Tits, Goldfinches, Black Redstarts, Southern
Grey Shrikes, 100´s of Black-crowned Night Herons and 12
Black-shouldered Kites, one pair of which were seen nest-building and
mating. Four other B-s Kites were seen elewhere during the day.
A drive beside the "Turf farm" produced Greenfinches, Serins, Meadow Pipits, Woodlarks and White Storks.
In the Isla Mayor, we found Avocets, Black-winged Stilts, Cattle Egrets, 100´s of Glossy Ibis, Lapwings and Yellow-legged Gulls.
The
afternoon was spent in the northern marshes, where, apart from many of
the previously mentioned species, we saw Greater Flamingos, Shovelers,
Gadwalls, Golden Plovers, 3 Great White Egrets, Black Storks and Common Cranes.
14th November.
With me today were Peter L´Heureux and his friend Mike from Washington
D.C. in America. Our first stop was at the Lagunas de Mancho Zurillo
and as we approached the first lagoon we were treated to a great
display by 5 Hoopoes, flying around us and on the track in front of the
vehicle. Getting out of the vehicle and scanning the water and the
surrounding land, we found Cattle Egrets, Grey Herons, Cormorants, a Great White Egret, Goldfinches, Greenfinches, Stonechats, Willow and Sardinian Warblers, Black Redstarts, Spotless Starlings, Crested and Woodlarks, Meadow Pipits, Corn Buntings and a Southern Grey Shrike.
At
the second lagoon there were Common Pochards, Tufted Ducks, Great
Crested Grebes, Coots, Kestrels, Buzzards and a hunting Osprey.
We
drove though the Corredor Verde, making several stops and saw Robins,
Serins, Zitting Cisticolas, Black-crowned Night Herons, Ravens, Red
Kites and 8 Black-shouldered Kites.
As we drove through the Isla Mayor ricefields, we found White Storks, Little Egrets, Green Sandpipers, Glossy Ibis, Little Grebes, Spanish Sparrows, Chiffchaffs, Yellow-legged and Black-headed Gulls, White Wagtails and a Booted Eagle.
After
a picnic lunch, enjoyed as much by the flies, as us, we made our way
out to the northern marshes. Several Marsh Harriers and a flock of
about 35 Stone Curlews showed well as we drove long the track and near
the Casa de Bombas we had cracking views of two Short-toed Eagles and
more distant views of two Black Kites.
There were 1,000´s of Greater
Flamingos at the Lucio del Lobo, along with 100´s of Avocets,
Shovelers, Black-winged Stilts and a small group of Common Cranes. Two
more Booted Eagles were seen circling above us.
As we were leaving the marshes, I spotted a male Ferruginous Duck
amongst a mixed group of ducks. The last new bird for the day was a
juvenile Peregrine Falcon perched on an electricity pylon, that allowed
us to get to within 30 metres of it, on foot, before flying off to
another pylon. We also saw more Stone Curlews, two more Great White
Egrets, another Black Stork and another Osprey.
9th November.
This was my second day guiding Michael and Sally Reynolds, from
Suffolk. Today we visited the west of the region, concentrating on
waders and seabirds.
Our first stop was at La Rábida, on the banks
of the Rio Tinto and although there was a favourable low tide, there
were very few waders present. However, we did see Oystercatchers,
Common Sandpipers, Yellow-legged and Black-headed Gulls, Cormorants,
Grey Herons and White Storks.
Our next stop was at the Laguna El
Portil, where Shovelers, Mallards, Gadwalls, Common Pochards, Teal,
Spotted Redshanks, Greenshanks, Little Grebes and a Black Tern were
seen.
We then stopped at the port at El Rompido and found many of
the waders we had been hoping for. ie. Ringed, Kentish and Grey
Plovers, Sanderlings, Dunlins, Red Knots, Turnstones and several
Curlews.
Next on the itinerary was a visit to the Marismas de la Rio Piedras and here we found Sandwich Terns, 10 Caspian Terns, over 100 Whimbrels, Common Redshanks, Little Egrets, Stonechats, Serins, Black Redstarts, Robins, Hoopoes, Iberian and Black-billed Magpies and a Southern Grey Shrike.
In
the afternoon, we made a tour of the Marismas del Odiel and apart from
many of the previously recorded species, we also saw Black and Bar-tailed Godwits, Black-necked Grebes, Spoonbills, Cattle Egrets, Black-winged Stilts, Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Audouin´s Gulls, 2 Ospreys and Marsh Harriers. | |
We
finished the day by visiting the Estero de Domingo Rubio and the Laguna
Primera de Palos. At the first of these sites we added a flock of about
12 Common Waxbills, several Willow Warblers to our list and at the
second, there were Purple Swamp-hens, Wigeon and at least 4 Squacco
Herons.
Squacco Heron. Usually a summer visitor, but some remain in the region throughout the year.
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8th November.
Today´s tour was with Michael and Sally Reynolds from Suffolk and Patty
Verhoeven from Holland and it turned out to be a bumper day for
raptors. We began the birding at the Corredor Verde and within two
hours we had recorded Red Kites, Buzzards, a Booted Eagle, a Merlin, a
Sparrowhawk, Kestrels, Marsh Harriers, a Hen Harrier and 8
Black-shouldered Kites. Also seen in this area were Green and Goldfinches, Crested and
Woodlarks, Tree Pipits, Hoopoes, Iberian Magpies, Stonechats, Zitting
Cisticolas, Southern Grey Shrikes, Corn Buntings, White Wagtails, Black
Redstarts, Blackcaps, Common and Green Sandpipers, Grey Herons, Little
Egrets, Common Pochards, Tufted Ducks, Great Crested Grebes and over
300 Black-crowned Night Herons.
We then visited the Isla Mayor and
found several ricefields that were being ploughed down after the
harvesting. This produced views of well over 1,000 White Storks,
1,000´s of Black-headed and Yellow-legged Gulls, 100´s of Lapwings,
Spanish Sparrows, Little Egrets and 9 Black Storks.
We had our lunch at a local picnic site and were entertained by a pair of Crested Tits in a tree directly above us.
In
the afternoon, we made our way out to the northern marsh area. On the
way we saw two Ospreys, a Short-toed Eagle and a large number of
Griffon Vultures.
At the field beside the Huerta Tejada, we counted
at least 89 Stone Curlews, some as close as 50 metres. A little Owl was
also seen.
There were many birds on the Lucio del Lobo and these
included probably a thousand Black-winged Stilts, a hundred Avocets,
500 Shovelers, a few Little Grebes and at least 3,000 Greater Flamingos.
As we were leaving the marshes, we saw two Great White Egrets, 1,000´s of Greylag Geese and about 30 Common Cranes.
3rd November.
My tour today was with Robin and Valerie Mason from Lincolnshire and
Tim and Jean Davidson from Boston, Massachusetts. We began at the
Laguna de Mancho Zurillo and the Corredor Verde and as soon as we
stopped at the lagoon we found our first Osprey of the day. A few Grey
Herons, Cattle Egrets and Coots were all that were on the water, but in
the surrounding areas we found Iberian Magpies, Hoopoes, Crested and
Woodlarks, Goldfinches, Stonechats, Sardinian Warblers, Black
Redstarts, Tree Sparrows, Spotless Starlings, Corn Buntings, a Wryneck,
Kestrels, Buzzards, a Sparrowhawk and several Black-shouldered Kites.
We
then experienced very heavy rain for about an hour, which stopped the
birding, but allowed us to take a coffee break in a local bar.
Once
the rain stopped, we toured a part of the Isla Mayor ricefields and
found Yellow-legged and Black-headed Gulls, White Storks, Little
Egrets, Lapwings, White Wagtails, 300+ Glossy Ibis and over 100 Avocets.
After our picnic lunch, we toured the northern marsh area where there were 3,000+ Greater Flamingos, 9 Black Storks, 4 Great White Egrets, 1,000+ Black-winged Stilts, Purple Swamp-hens, Green Sandpipers, Shovelers, Gadwalls, Little Owls, Marsh and Hen Harriers, Red Kites, Ospreys, a Peregrine Falcon and a Short-toed Eagle. | | | |
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